Care to join me, on yet another Garden Tour? (pics!)

[Snowwark]

Yes, another garden tour...lol. I love nosing around other people's gardens/yards, and this provides the perfect excuse!

I'm going to follow Olena's method of putting all the pics on postings to this one thread. I always get confused on how many pics are allowed per post, and this should make it a bit easier.

There were 8 gardens on this tour, but I didn't take pics at all of them, and some of the ones I did take, didn't turn out so great. Let's go!!

~Part 1~

A few Buds have mentioned in the past that they'd like a bridge, perhaps like this Japanese-inspired one?

The Hat Lady's house! This is her Mountain Laurel from her front yard.

The Hat Lady had the most gorgeous garden, but unfortunately, I didn't get very many pics of it. We started chit-chatting, and...well..lol..then it was time to move on. She had a wonderful, deep, roofed, back porch, with table and chairs, a braided rug, and an antique dresser topped with hats on hat stands...hence the Hat Lady name. I wish I had a pic of her porch, it was so beautiful, a unique oasis. Here's part of what she would see while relaxing there.

Every inch of the Hat Lady's yard was crammed with flowers/vines/planters, and all kinds of interesting garden art features. It was to believe she's only been there for 8 years, and basically started from scratch. This picture shows how she utilized a very narrow path at the side of her house, and punched up the visual interest.

Many of the gardens had water features, some small, and some quite sizable, like this one!

 

[Snowwark]

~Part 2~

This house wasn't on the tour, we just parked near it. I was so taken with how immaculately groomed their front yard was, I decided to take a pic anyway.

Misc. tour pics.

 

[Snowwark]

~Part 3~

I have admired the following house for years, so imagine my surprise and delight to find it was one of the houses on the tour!!

I told DH I'd love to make them an offer..lol...but first, I need to win the lottery!

A large sweeping expanse of lawn.

I was standing about here, when I took the above pic. The entire perimeter of the property is edged with graceful borders.

Lots of stone, hostas, daylillies, as you make your way to the front door. I like the look of the different levels.

The backyard is as wide as the front is deep, and has a rather steep slope at the back, heavily planted with hostas. I thought the horizontal angle of this tree was interesting.

They even had a wedding tableau set up!

Thank you for joining me on the tour!

 

[amid chaos]

Kim, such gorgeous pictures!!! Thank you for sharing them. I love that house too...especially the stairs up to the front door.

 

[olena]

 

[marydmjj]

Love the pics. Thank you. I love large beautiful green lawns. A lot of water and fertilizer, I'm sure, but still beautiful.

 

[Princess Michelle]

Kim, in your 2nd post, the third picture, what kind of plant is that? I've never seen anything like it, very unique and beautiful! Did they cut it to look that way or that the way it grows?

 

[amid chaos]

Originally posted by Princess Michelle
Kim, in your 2nd post, the third picture, what kind of plant is that? I've never seen anything like it, very unique and beautiful! Did they cut it to look that way or that the way it grows?

I have wondered this too...my hens and chicks never flower like that!!!

 

[Snowwark]

Originally posted by Princess Michelle
Kim, in your 2nd post, the third picture, what kind of plant is that? I've never seen anything like it, very unique and beautiful! Did they cut it to look that way or that the way it grows?

Hi Michelle, great to see you here!

Michelle, the plant you mentioned is a type of succulent (Hens & Chicks, Aloe and Jade plant, sedum, etc.). Whether it's a Sempervivum, Heuffelii, Orostachys, or other.....I don't know. I knew I should of asked! lol.... Perhaps one of our other Buds has one, and can help us out? Yes, that is the way they grow! Pretty cool, eh?

 

[Princess Michelle]

Thanks Kim! If I had a yard to plant stuff in you'd see me here a lot more!

It's funny, my mom and I were looking at it and we both had it in the right family, each of us thought it looked like something different but at least they are related. LOL I'm going to have to go on a search for this plant now, I keep coming back and looking at it. I love it!

 

[Snowwark]

Originally posted by Princess Michelle
Thanks Kim! If I had a yard to plant stuff in you'd see me here a lot more!

It's funny, my mom and I were looking at it and we both had it in the right family, each of us thought it looked like something different but at least they are related. LOL I'm going to have to go on a search for this plant now, I keep coming back and looking at it. I love it!

Whether you have a yard or not, as long as you enjoy flowers (and as soon as you post here!), you're a BUD, Michelle!

If you print out the pic, and take it to a nearby garden centre, they may be able to help you out. Let us know, okay? Sorry I couldn't give you a definitive answer, Michelle.

 

[Princess Michelle]

Hurray, I'm a BUD!

That's a good idea to print it and take it with me the next time I go somewhere an "expert" might be. I'll be sure to let you guys know whatever I find out.

Thanks again for the nice welcome. I think I pretty much know all the people who post here anyway so it's just like being among family. I'll make an effort to stop in more often.

 

[DebºoºS]

Kim, I envy you and your secret garden tours. I always drive by houses wondering if the back is as nice as the front. All of these are fabulous places.
I love to go snooping you get so many good ideas. When I took photos of the houses in the Hamptons I would always linger in their gardens checking them out taking mental notes of things I liked and didn't like.

Now that you've chatted up the Hat Lady and made friends with her maybe she'll let you come back and takes pics. She's sounds like a real character. I like her style. Does she wear one of her decorative hats to garden?

I think the Japanese garden is my favorite. What a water feature, wow. I could look at these pics all day. Thanks

 

[mommytotwo]

I like the gardens with the nice green lawns and the ones with the water scenes. I think the third set of pictures is my favorite.

For these secret garden tours, do you sneek into people's yards when they are not at home lol

 

[Snowwark]

Originally posted by DebºoºS
Now that you've chatted up the Hat Lady and made friends with her maybe she'll let you come back and takes pics. She's sounds like a real character. I like her style. Does she wear one of her decorative hats to garden?

Hmmm...I don't know Deb, remember this was a ticketed event, so I had to pay to talk to her....lol. (hat smilie! )

She was a very vivacious person, and yes, she was wearing a garden hat, although I don't think it was one of her "special" hats. She was bemoaning the fact that there are next to no milliners around anymore, and that she had a hard time finding old-looking hatstands for her collection of antique hats.

I think we need a smilie wearing a gardening hat!!

Starting this Sunday, we have the '12th Annual Hamilton Spectator Open Garden Week'. For 10 days, 79 gardens will be open to visitors, free of charge! The paper lists all the homes that have gardens to view, and the days/times during the 10 days of garden week, that they will be open. According to the paper, there isn't another event like this, anywhere in Canada.

Now I can snoop around for free, but I'm not sure if we'll get to very many (if any!), of the gardens. We'll have to see...

Patsy, I would of loved to have had a tour of the house I featured, but that probably would of been pushing things a bit..lol.

 

[DebºoºS]

Starting this Sunday, we have the '12th Annual Hamilton Spectator Open Garden Week'. For 10 days, 79 gardens will be open to visitors, free of charge!

Wow! that's a huge event! I am grass green with envy. Please take lots of pics.

We have little ones around here. They're usually held to benefit the local garden club. Not as friendly as your last tour. They don't even come out of their houses to greet visitors.

Sharing their labor of love with appreciative visitors must be very rewarding.

 

[NHMickey]

Love all the stone work in the yard. Fantastic pictures

 

[Cruise04]

I'd love to have grass so groomed like that one yard - beautiful!!!!

 

[Snowwark]

Hi Cruise04, and welcome (back) to the F&G board!

 

[Cruise04]

Thank you!